Council committee system scrutinized in tense exchange 

A Springfield City Council member is accusing the city’s mayor of manipulating council’s committee structure. 

The issue arose yesterday as council members completed a routine review of the agenda for the upcoming Aug. 25 council meeting. At the luncheon, Councilmember Craig Hosmer and Mayor Jeff Schrag strongly debated committee policy. 

In an ordinance up for first reading at the meeting next week, Schrag is seeking to reverse a law passed by council in June and send the issue to committee for review. The law that would be suspended, if the measure passes, requires that personal property taxes of a business be certified as paid before the city grants it an occupational license, in the same way that vehicle taxes must be paid before vehicles can be registered. 

The move, Schrag said, is predicated on the fact that the proof of payment measure was not reviewed by a committee. The bill quotes a section of city code that says, “It is the policy of the City Council to encourage the referral of council bills involving policy issues and substantive changes to the appropriate City Council committee.” 

The original bill was referred in March to the Plans and Policies Committee, which held it with no discussion for several months, according to Hosmer. In keeping with council policy, he brought the measure back before the full council after the period of inaction. At that time, council opted to vote on the ordinance with no objection voiced at the meeting. It passed 6-1, with Councilmember Derek Lee opposing the measure and two members, Brandon Jenson and Monica Horton, abstaining. Schrag himself was one of the members voting in support of the ordinance. 

But Hosmer said Schrag’s new proposed ordinance, which seeks to overturn what is now part of city code, should also be required to go to committee before a vote. 

“If you’re going to be consistent with your policy, this bill should go to committee,” Hosmer said. “Why doesn’t this ordinance go to the Plans and Policies Committee?” 

Hosmer argued that Schrag’s move was illogical and noted that if the mayor’s complaint is that the original bill did not go to committee, the mayor’s bill, too, should go to committee before being put up to council for a vote.  

Schrag said he understood Hosmer’s point. 

“It is my opinion that council understands what I’m trying to do and it’ll be voted up or down,” Schrag said. 

Schrag told SBJ this morning that he made a mistake in voting for Hosmer’s original bill, which he did not intend to support. 

“I made a mistake and I want to own it,” he said. “My intention was to refer it back to committee – to not let Councilmember Hosmer subvert the committee process.” 

Schrag said he had intended to vote against the original ordinance but made a rookie mistake. 

“I realized later I had the number wrong in my notes,” he said. 

During yesterday’s meeting, Hosmer accused Schrag of letting businesspeople off the hook. 

“It just seems like we do everything we can to protect people for not paying personal property taxes to support our schools – that support people with developmental disabilities,” Hosmer said to Schrag. “Who are you trying to protect?” 

He added that the mayor was making a substantive change to city law with an ordinance that’s not going to committee. 

Schrag said it was clear he and Hosmer were on opposite sides of the issue, but Hosmer said that wasn’t the problem. 

“It’s not an opposite side; it’s that your argument isn’t consistent,” Hosmer said. “You’re saying that all bills should go to committee, but your bill doesn’t have to go to committee.” 

For Schrag, the issue was a rhetorical one. 

“I get the technicality and I understand and appreciate it, and you’re probably going to win this debate of logic, but this is how I’m proceeding,” Schrag said. 

Hosmer asked to see the bill, noting that council members had not been presented with the proposed ordinance before the agenda review. That document, which was produced by city staff, was dated July 9. Schrag said that’s when he had the ordinance drafted, and he was waiting for all council members to be present before bringing up his proposal for a vote. 

“Over a month ago – and the first time we know about it was on review of the council agenda on an ordinance that you’re complaining that the bill didn’t go to committee, but you don’t want your bill to go to committee,” Hosmer said. 

The two then engaged in a back-and-forth debate. 

“So, the rules don’t apply to the mayor,” Hosmer said. 

Schrag responded, “I don’t agree with that at all.” 

Hosmer said, “If somebody else had put this bill up, it would have gone to committee. I put a bill up, it goes to committee. You put bills up, they don’t go to committee.” 

Schrag said his intent is for the bill to go to committee, as the measure itself directs. 

In an interview this morning, Hosmer said he agrees that issues should be studied in depth by committees. 

“The concept is good,” he said. 

However, it is applied inconsistently, according to Hosmer. 

“Bills that people want to get out don’t go to the committee process,” he said. “Bills that people want to stop go to the committee process and stay there for months and years.” 

In a separate interview, Schrag had a different take. 

“Certainly, there are some on council who say committee is where things go to die,” he said. “I prefer to say that’s where things go to be studied, and going away may be the result of that study if it isn’t the will of council.” 

Hosmer also told SBJ that Schrag has reworked the committees to minimize certain voices. He noted that four council members – Brandon Jenson, Hosmer, Bruce Adib-Yazdi and Monica Horton – all voted against the choice of David Cameron as city manager. Those four council members, who often voice support for neighborhood issues, were placed together on the Finance and Administration Committee, with Jenson as chair, Hosmer said. Among that committee’s responsibilities are overseeing fees and financial policies, reviewing capital improvement projects, and reviewing federal and state assistance programs. Other committees have a more direct impact on council matters, Hosmer said. 

There are four council committees. In addition to Finance and Administration, they are as follows: 

• Community Involvement Committee, overseeing neighborhood issues, economic development and legislative priorities: Callie Carroll, chair, and Heather Hardinger, Horton and Derek Lee
• Plans and Policies Committee, overseeing city code revisions, council goals and procedures and master planning of all areas: Abe McGull, chair, and Carroll, Hardinger and Hosmer
• Public Involvement Committee, recommending appointments to boards and commissions: Lee, chair, and McGull, Jenson and Adib-Yazdi